<p style="margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 4px;"><em>There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts: what we do, how we look, what we say, and how we say it. </em></p>

<blockquote style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> <blockquote style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> <blockquote style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;"> <p style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: right; margin-right: -100px;"><strong>– Dale Carnegie (1888-1955)<br /> American Educator</strong></p> </blockquote> </blockquote> </blockquote> <p style="margin-bottom: 7px;"> It’s been more than 40 years since the first email was sent. (I’ll let that sink in for a moment as some us feel our hair turning grayer). With its rise to prominence in the late 1990s, email became an essential part of business and personal communications and remains so to this day. Yet, after all this time, many people still haven’t mastered the basics of email etiquette. </p> <p style="margin-bottom: 7px;">While there are no hard and fast rules, what follows are eleven guidelines for professional email communication compiled from our own experiences as well as several helpful online articles. </p> <ol style="margin-bottom: 4px;"> <li><strong>Subject lines should be clear, concise, and descriptive. </strong>The subject line often determines whether your message is read. Let recipients know exactly what to expect. You can even include “action needed” if appropriate. </li> <li><strong> If you are asking for specific action, state it clearly and early in the message.</strong> <br /> If there is a deadline, include it as well. <br /> </li> <li> <strong>Eliminate people who don’t need to be involved, and use “reply all” only when truly needed.</strong> <br /> The more people you include in an email chain, the less responsibility anyone feels to answer. It also becomes unclear what is being requested of whom. </li> <li> <strong>Avoid emoticons, abbreviations, and humor.</strong> <br /> Your recipient may not know the emoticons and abbreviations you use, and IMHO*, humor can be misunderstood without the visual and vocal cues necessary to convey the full meaning. And, BTW**, &#9786 does not make everything nice. </li> <li> <strong>Be aware of the tone of your message.</strong> <br /> Without the benefit of facial expressions and other cues, tone can be easily misread. Read your message aloud. If it could be misinterpreted, rewrite it. </li> <li><strong> Lists are your friends.</strong> <br /> Breaking up blocks of text with bullets and numbered lists makes your message easier to skim and can provide clarity. </li> <li> <strong>Grammar, spelling, and punctuation matter.</strong> <br /> Period. </li> <li> <strong>Don’t email when angry.</strong><br /> If you want to send (or you receive) an angry email, step away for 10 minutes before you reply. If it’s urgent, your best bet is to follow-up in person or by phone. </li> <li> <strong>Keep fonts and colors classic. </strong><span style="font-family: 'comic sans'; font-size: 14pt;"><br /> Comic Sans</span> has no business in a professional email. Use 10 or 12-point type in an easy-to-read font such as Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman. Use <strong>black</strong> or <span style="color: #040864"><strong>dark blue</strong></span> text color. </li> <li><strong> Don’t expect an immediate reply.</strong> <br /> Sending an email does not automatically make it the recipients’ priority. Unless it’s urgent, you need to allow time to respond (in many cases 24 hours). If you need an immediate response, try a phone call or visit instead. </li> <li> <strong>Write nothing you wouldn’t share publically. <br /> </strong> If this last election taught us anything, it’s that every email leaves a trail. Anything you write in an email should be appropriate to share with others in your organization (because it could be). Email may feel confidential, but it’s not.</li> </ol> <p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 7px;">These are just a few important things to consider when using email in a professional context. Explore more suggestions in the following articles, which we used as a basis for forming this list.

<p>Prepare for a wilderness adventure in Wisconsin Dells at the <a href="http://amc.wisbar.org/">2017 <em>Annual Meeting &amp; Conference</em></a>. We&rsquo;ve gathered together interesting CLE sessions, helpful resources, outstanding plenaries, and fun social activities – including a highlight of this year&rsquo;s schedule, the Western BBQ All-Conference Bash.</p> <p> Join us for loads of fun at the All-Conference Western BBQ. Enjoy a bonanza of activities with your posse, feast on great victuals, try the signature cocktail, or grab a non-alcoholic beverage at our coffee corral. Plus, do some boot-scootin&rsquo; to the sounds of award-winning country band Madison County.</p> <p style="margin-bottom: 7px;"><a href="http://www.madcounty.com/home">Madison County</a> is a 7-piece country show band, based out of Madison, WI. Their fresh, unique take on country music has earned them such prestigious awards as:</p> <ul style="margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 7px;"> <li style="margin-top: 0;">Local Group of the Year at the Madison Country Music Awards</li> <li>Wisconsin Area Music Industry&rsquo;s People&rsquo;s Choice Award</li> <li>Favorite Local Country Band from <em>Isthmus</em></li> <li><em>Madison Magazine</em>&rsquo;s Best Local Band</li></ul>

<p>They’ve also shared the stage with national acts, including Little Big Town, Sugarland, Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts, and Alan Jackson, to name just a few.</p><p>You definitely won&rsquo;t want to miss this year&rsquo;s <em>Conference</em> – so make plans to join us! Visit <a href="http://amc.wisbar.org/">amc.wisbar.org</a> for more information and to register.</p><hr />

<p><strong>Family Law Workshop Scholarships Available </strong><br /> The Family Law Section is offering 12 scholarships to its Annual Family Law Workshop in Door County. If you would like to be considered for one of the scholarships, please complete the <a href="https://elists.wisbar.org/t/2365890/45661301/43474/21/">application</a>, and return it by April 1, 2017, to Nicole Williams Buttery at <a href="mailto:nwilliamsbuttery@wisbar.org">nwilliamsbuttery@wisbar.org</a>.&nbsp;Scholarship recipients will be notified the first week of May.</p> <p><strong>Save-the-Date</strong> for the 36th Annual Family Law Workshop, to be held August 3-5, 2017, at the Stone Harbor Resort and Conference Center in Sturgeon Bay.</p> <p><strong>Space is Still Available for Annual BICR Retreat </strong><br /> The Bankruptcy, Insolvency and Creditors&rsquo; Rights Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin invites you to attend the 12th Annual BICR Educational/Social Retreat at the American Club in Kohler March 2-3, 2017. <a href="http://marketplace.wisbar.org/Pages/eventDetails.aspx?category=&amp;cat=&amp;pid=SA6581">Register today! </a></p> <p><strong>Considering Opening a Practice? Now Is the Time! </strong><br /> The Solo/Small Firm &amp; General Practice Section is hosting their &ldquo;Considerations for Starting a Law Practice&rdquo; Seminar on April 8 at the Country Springs Hotel in Pewaukee. The sessions are designed to help you through the process of planning and starting your own practice. <a href="http://marketplace.wisbar.org/Pages/eventDetails.aspx?category=&amp;cat=&amp;pid=SA6881"> For more information, click here.</a></p> <p><strong>Tech Wars: Your Practice Awakens!&nbsp; <br /> </strong>Register now for the 8th Annual Young Lawyers Conference in Green Bay on March 24! Registration is complimentary, but required. <br /> <a href="http://marketplace.wisbar.org/Pages/eventDetails.aspx?category=&amp;cat=&amp;pid=SA6583">For a complete schedule, click here.</a>&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <p><strong>Serve on the Government Lawyers Division Board! </strong><br /> In April, the Government Lawyers Division (GLD) members will elect three division directors to serve on the GLD Board, as well as two officer positions for Secretary and Treasurer. The terms will begin June 30, 2017, and run for 2 years. &nbsp;Anyone interested in serving on the Board as a director, Secretary, or Treasurer, should submit a short bio and photo to the GLD Nominating Committee, attn: Megan Zurbriggen, <a href="mailto:mzurbriggen@wisbar.org">mzurbriggen@wisbar.org</a>, by March 3, 2017. </p> <p><strong>Call for nominations: NRLD Founder's Award 2017<br /> </strong>The Founder&rsquo;s Award, presented by the Nonresident Lawyers Division, recognizes a nonresident member who has brought positive change to the division and has actively participated in State Bar activities for many years. Nominations are due February 24.&nbsp; <a href="http://www.wisbar.org/formembers/groups/Divisions/NonresidentLawyersDivision/pages/home.aspx"><br /> For more information, click here.</a></p> <hr />

<h3 style="color: #045394; margin-bottom: 7px;">Get Recognized for <br /> Pro Bono Services </h3> <p>A commitment to pro bono service is an important part of being a Wisconsin lawyer. It reinforces your role as a caring professional in your community. The Wisconsin Pro Bono Honor Society, created by the Access to Justice Commission and the State Bar of Wisconsin, recognizes lawyers who have provided at least 50 hours of qualifying pro bono service in the preceding year. We want to ensure that every lawyer who qualifies either self-certifies or is certified by a person familiar with their pro bono work.<strong> Certifications must be made </strong><a href="http://wisatj.org/projects/probonosociety"><strong>online</strong></a><strong>&nbsp;by February 28, 2017.</strong>&nbsp;<strong> </strong></p> <p><a href="http://wisatj.org/projects/probonosociety?doing_wp_cron=1484073412.2243850231170654296875">Visit the Commission's website</a>&nbsp;to learn more about this opportunity and submit your 2016 Pro Bono Honor Society certification&nbsp;<strong>by February 28</strong>. We hope that you will join us in making sure that every qualifying lawyer is aware of this opportunity.</p> <hr />

<p style="margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 6px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:8pt;"> *This offer is not available with any other discount and expires February 17, 2017. Discount cannot be applied to previous purchases, or used for renewals of subscriptions, auto-supplementation subscriptions, or Books UnBound full library subscriptions.</span></p>